Despite the vast amounts of waste that they create, plastic bottles remain all too common in consumer packaged goods, but the outdoor apparel company Phunkshun Wear is working to reduce that waste. The company's clothes are made using recycled plastic bottles, simultaneously removing these bottles from landfills while preventing the company from having to source new materials.
Much of Phunkshun Wear's clothing is made from its patented 'Repreve' fabric. The fibers that make up the fabric are made from plastic bottles through an industrial recycling process. Part of the appeal of Repreve is that its fibers are entirely traceable; the company keeps track of where it's sourcing the plastic bottles it recycles, meaning that consumers can be confident their clothing is 100 percent sustainable.
Breathable Recycled Plastic Shirts
Phunkshun Wear's Shirts Are Made from Recycled Bottles
Trend Themes
1. Recycled Fashion - Phunkshun Wear's use of Repreve fabric made from recycled plastic bottles highlights the trend towards sustainable, eco-friendly fashion.
2. Traceability and Transparency - Phunkshun Wear's commitment to tracing the source of their recycled bottles for their Repreve fabric illustrates the trend towards consumers valuing transparency and traceability in their products.
3. Circular Economy - Phunkshun Wear's use of recycled plastic bottles in their clothing production contributes to a more sustainable and circular economy.
Industry Implications
1. Outdoor Apparel - Phunkshun Wear's use of recycled plastic bottles to create breathable shirts advances the outdoor apparel industry's efforts to reduce waste and promote sustainability.
2. Sustainable Fashion - Phunkshun Wear's Repreve fabric made from recycled plastic bottles demonstrates the disruptive innovation opportunity for the fashion industry to shift towards more sustainable and circular practices.
3. Plastic Recycling - Phunkshun Wear's use of industrial plastic recycling to create their Repreve fabric highlights an innovation opportunity for the plastic recycling industry to expand its reach and impact.